Three of the four Republican candidates hoping to unseat Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper said women need opportunities not political rhetoric about war during a debate at Colorado Christian University Tuesday night.

However, there was hardly a word spoken about any gender-specific policies they might enact during an hour and a half of introductions, debate and parting shots. There were no questions on abortion, pay parity or support for research on breast cancer and ovarian cancer, but instead they planted their campaign flags in economic opportunities, individual freedoms and a strong education system.

Secretary of State Scott Gessler said that to push back on the Democrats’ “war on women” accusation, Republicans needed to point out the hypocrisy peddled by the left, but Republicans should change the “tone and tenor” of their discussions on issues that affect women.

“Let us take this head on,” said the notably scrappy public official called the Honey Badger, “and show our policies succeed and their policies fail.”

Former congressman Bob Beauprez dismissed the war entirely. “It’s senseless rhetoric, the stuff that happens in politics, and I don’t think we should get wrapped up in an argument about their semantics,” he said.

Gessler, Beauprez and former state Sen. Mike Kopp agreed on just about everything. They disliked Colorado’s recreational marijuana and wanted more enforcement of immigration laws and fewer taxes and regulations. In fact, none of them questioned another’s positions. John Andrews, the debate moderator and the director of the conservative Centennial Institute, which put on the event, said he would be comfortable with any of the three in the governor’s office.

Hickenlooper and former congressman Tom Tancredo, the fourth Republican in the race, were invited to debate Tuesday night, but didn’t accept. The debaters were asked to size up the no-shows’ decisions. Unsurprisingly, Hickenlooper got the worst of it.

Beauprez said he would “leave Tom to Tom,” and turned to the incumbent. He said the day he joined he was soon asked what he would do differently than Hickenlooper. “Show up! How about starting there? What is John Hickenlooper’s agenda. Does anybody in the room know what his signature piece of action is?” Beauprez bellowed and raised both hands.

Gessler called himself a vacuum cleaner of ideas at such gatherings and that Tancredo would benefit from hearing the debate and the voters’ questions. It should be noted that Gessler skipped the Denver Post debate in February. At the time, Gessler and Tancredo said they didn’t think it was a good idea for Republicans to be beating up on Republicans in the primary, and, indeed, that mutually respectful partisan tone prevailed Tuesday night.

“Tom should be here,” Kopp said. “The governor should be here. You know, I served with John Hickenlooper. I was the Senate minority leader, and I met with the administration’s staff, usually the governor and some others just about weekly. And this I learned from him. He’s a nice guy, someone you would like to hang out with. Often you leave the room having met with John Hickenlooper and you have no idea what decision he is going to make or if he’s going to make a decision. Mastering the art of motion without consequence is no way to lead the state. I wish he was here to talk about that.”

The dig drew polite applause.

The crowd also broke into applause when Beauprez emphatically dug into Hickenlooper’s decision to grant a temporary reprieve to convicted killer Nathan Dunlap, who faced execution last August, but instead won’t get death while Hickenlooper is in office.

Beauprez said if he’s governor, “Nathan Dunlap will be executed.”

Andrews quickly added perspective. “It’s somber. It’s nothing to rejoice in, but you’re hearing three very principled men of integrity come down identical on how justice should be served.”

The primary is a little more a month away, June 24. Gessler summed up his view of the race’s consequences early on in the debate.

“Our future depends on the choices we make today and the values we pass on to our children.”

Too funny. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “vacuum” means “a space absolutely devoid of matter.” I suppose that “devoid of ideas” would be a good description of Gessler. Nice of him to be so frank about it.

On the one hand, we have this feed from the Fascist (Republican) Party echo chamber, on the other, vague relief that the polls show a comfortable margin for the Collaborationist (Democratic) Party candidate — neither of these parties are addressing our real problems or planning for our future, and the Denver Post ignores their crimes and panders to their adherents.

I count the abrogation of our constitutional rights and the criminalization of American society as proof of our slide into fascism; the nation that claims to be “the land of the free” now incarcerates more people than any other — this is the Land of Prisons! The two political parties responsible should be regarded as criminal and as fundamentally anti-American, because they are inimical to our founding principles; they have destroyed American Freedom and have plundered the commons for the benefit of corporations.

According to Joey Bunch’s above article, “Gessler called himself a vacuum cleaner of ideas at such gatherings . . ,” so try reading the text, jodefaw. Cute, trying to misquote and make things up. It does not distract from the thrust of this article.

The text when I read it last night said only “vacuum”. Evidently I read the article more closely than Mr. Bunch or his editors did before publication, and it’s been corrected. I still think “vacuum” is an accurate description of Gessler.

Yes, guys, it is all in our imaginations that you think we are too stupid to control our own bodies, that you voted against the violence against women renewal, that you voted against equal pay for equal work, that you have to have a consultant to teach you how to talk to women. Sigh.

Not to mention the over 700 pieces of legislation designed to remove women’s control over their bodies last year alone, including requiring medically unnecessary and invasive transvaginal ultrasounds for no other purpose than to shame women and forcing women to explain to their employers why they want birth control. And the removal of several Planned Parenthood clinics, which served the majority of poor women. There were zero pieces of legislation regarding the rights of men over their bodies.

Call them what you want, but veterans who died while waiting for care a VA hospitals proved the existence of government death panels. I don’t care what you call them but when unelected bureaucrats, who can not be sued , can not be questions, can not be removed from office, get to determine what type of care a person can receive and what type of treatment a medical provided can provide, they are de facto death panels no different than these VA bureaucrats.

Speaking of talking points. The latest Right Wing rage is to say that Sarah Palin was really right about death panels, because of veterans dying. Only questions I have is , who stays up so late at night thinking up this shit ?

That’s why the citizens bypassed you. My suggestion is put the moralist grumbling aside and follow the will of the people of Colorado. Failure to do so puts you on the same level as the Democrats who are doing everything possible to strangle the clearly-expressed desire of the electorate.

Any woman, Latino, black, gay, young person, member of the middle class, or person who values science and its teaching who votes Republican should have their head examined. That’s not racist, that’s a fact.

NO! I don’t presume I can adequately represent women’s views, and there is NO reason they should not be allowed to do so themselves! Confusing racism with the ability to show some deference to women only reveals ignorance.

Destructive? Good grief, the GOP is the MOST destructive force in the country…anti-Veteran’s jobs bill, anti-women, anti-immigration, anti minorities, anti-LGBT…started two illegal wars, supported illegal torture – no bid contracts to their buddies, Cheney and Bush are no less than war criminals and you have the nerve to say the Dems are anti-American?? What about all your Bundy welfare rancher and white militia types denying the government of this country? THAT’s not ANTI-AMERICAN? Or the Right wing fanatics who want to secede from the USA? I laugh! Try pulling that somewhere else. We have a pretty educated constituency here in Colorado.

Right. Because a show in which a WOMAN gets to decide for herself which male to date after choosing for herself which questions to subject the men to in order to compel them to compete for her attention…. is demeaning to women? In what world is that demeaning to women?

Not that facts would matter to someone who is so obviously wrong in their assessments, but WOMEN sponsored the debate and WOMEN picked the song.

Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with the show. It was clear the author of the article took offense to the song also. Just another indication that journalist today have zero understanding of the anything that didn’t happen three seconds ago.

No thanks. I’ll have to go by what the reported relayed. When I see the words “Colorado Christian University”, “John Andrews”, and “Conservative Centennial institute”, it literally makes my skin crawl and the hair on my nape stand on end.

BTW, If Republicans want to reach out to Independent voters they should steer clear of those stereotypical Republican venues. No wonder Hickenlooper didn’t want to attend. Yuck.

So you think the theme music demonstrates they are demeaning women, but you don’t actually know anything about the show.… How very logical of you.

You’ll just take the words of the reporter….who literally said, “they played the theme music”. So…. in fact you didn’t “take his word for it”, you formed an opinion without knowing ANY facts. How very logical again.

I can’t help but wonder if this tendency you have toward forming opinions based on the absence of facts is the reasons your skin crawls at the words “Colorado Christian University” and Conservative Centennial”.

Sorry, didn’t read your reply carefully–I thought you meant if I familiarized myself with the “show” I’d know that women sponsored the debate and picked the song. Sure, I remember “The Dating Game”. Still think it was strange choice to play that particular theme song when women approached the podium to ask men a SERIOUS question. This appears to make a mockery of women’s issues.

I don’t think it is wise for the GOP to deny their policies on women were not a war on women. Their history is clear that they are anti-minority and anti-women. If they want to change that, they should acknowledge their past and tell us what they plan to do in the future.

Birth control and access to abortion services is only the tip of the iceberg. The GOP have also cut programs that help women with childcare, blocked equal pay bills and have tried to redefine rape. And those are all recent examples. They even realize that they don’t even know how to speak to women and have started sending GOP members to sensitivity classes.

The statement should have said three white “MEN” – there is certainly a war on women by the GOP…in wages, privacy rights, heath care and other very specific issues….anyone denying that is just oblivious to the obvious.

Just saw the BS ad for Cory Gardner supporting the Keystone with all those PHONEY jobs….the State Dept AND Newsweek both state specifically there will be a grand total of 35 permanent jobs in the USA…..you seem to forget this is a CANADIAN company who will employ CANADIANS while they contaminate and spill their crude tar sands oil into our aqueducts….

It says much about the state of the GOP in Colorado that Tom Tancredo is leading the pack and a debate about female issues where female issues are avoided tells females exactly where they stand with the Republican party…outside.

Yes. But if you can’t tell the difference between death panels and insurance companies clearing articulating their policies BEFORE you purchase their policies, then you probably should spend some time understand Obamacare rather than focusing on talking points.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.